Tyre swap advice

S

steveyorks

Member
I know there are loads of threads on this...I have read them all.....but I need a push in the right direction before I spend £400! Only had my Z4 a few weeks but hate the harsh ride and the way it tramlines compared to my previous Z3 and Boxster to name but a few. Having done my research the move to non runflats seems a potential cure but its a big investment particularly as the current Bridgestones fitted to the car are all pretty good. So the question is....does it make THAT much difference?
On a similar note I find that when on the motorway and going straight the slight corrections we have to make on the steering for road surface/camber etc is a little jerky and I know I am being picky here. I realize its electric steering and wonder if this is standard compared to hydraulic or do I have an issue? Its very minor as I say.
 
It is that much better. Consider yourself 'pushed'.

I switched from runflats shortly after buying my car and it rides loads better and barely tramlines.
 
Difference is night & day so waste no time switching , you won't regret it
The steering can be tweaked a little to ease the jerkiness you describe
Where the motor & csteering column connect there is a shim , scribe a line where it is now , ease of the torx fixings & literally 1mm one way will tighten or the other way should lighten the steering feel :thumbsup:
 
I changed from 18 inch run flats to 19 inch non run flats and the ride improved. So it will help in your case. I swear by Goodyear asymmetrical 2 tyres and have them on all my cars and would think about when new tyres are needed upgrading to the asymmetric 3's
 
Really appreciate the input! Its putting me off the car at present as its so firm and the roads around here are really bad so I am fighting it all the time. interesting about the steering too...I was reading about the effect of heat on the electrical gubbins and a recall in the USA and worrying it might be that.
 
I got a puncture in one of my runflats this week. Was told by tyre man that runflats can't be repaired so I was stung £140 for a brand new Bridgestone. :( Is that right ? If so that would be another reason for switching away from runflats.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1549.JPG
    IMG_1549.JPG
    45 KB · Views: 712
steveyorks said:
Really appreciate the input! Its putting me off the car at present as its so firm and the roads around here are really bad so I am fighting it all the time. interesting about the steering too...I was reading about the effect of heat on the electrical gubbins and a recall in the USA and worrying it might be that.
Click to expand...

Stevie, CHANGE THE FUCKING TYRES!

It's the first mod anyone on here does.

Night and day and you'll feel the difference immediatley as soon as the car moves.

Do not skimp on tyres as they're keeping you on the road.

Do not mix tyres on the front or on the rear as that could be dangerous too!

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 or Asymmetric 3 will be great on the car. I have Asymmetric 2 and they are phasing them out I believe.

If you believe everything you read on car forums you'll never drive the car in fear of something breaking.

Perhaps there's a member close to you that can let you try their car without Runflats and try yours too!
 
Had two spare part worn run-flats, one of them had a puncture that was repaired by my local tyre garage. Had it on the rear for three weeks now with no issues.
 
get them changed... put your runflats on ebay to offset a bit of the cost... best improvement you will make to the car :thumbsup:
 
Marlon needs to do a poll on who runs runflats and who runs non runflats although it's probably been done!
 
I had runflats on for about a month whilst my non runflats were off getting the alloys refurbished.

The ride was firmer, as noticed by the increase in cabin squeaks with the runflats on.

I didn't notice any massive decline in tyre performance, compared to the non runflats.

Make of that what you will.
 
Bumps made crashing noises and shocks through the shell on runflats, now it doesn't. As said above though grip is not an issue.
 
I have no complaints about handling or grip just the hard ride and the way it follows every bump and ridge in the road surface. Where do I find this shim that was mentioned? Inside the car or under the bonnet?
 
steveyorks said:
I have no complaints about handling or grip just the hard ride and the way it follows every bump and ridge in the road surface. Where do I find this shim that was mentioned? Inside the car or under the bonnet?
Click to expand...

The shim is found inside the car under steering column
My indy did mine :oops:
 
I have replaced both front tyres with non run flats as a bit of an experiment. What a difference already! Even driving through the car park away from the tyre fitters the steering felt lighter and smoother. On the move the tramlining has stopped and steering feels smoother and the ride is no longer crashy like it was. I have only done the fronts to see what difference it makes without the rears being swapped but I know I will have to do this anyway and given the improvement the front alone makes I don't have any qualms about doing it. The car does not give any indication though of the mis matched tyres affecting handling which is interesting.
 
Not as far as I am aware unless you know different. Causes usually refer to worn suspension, wider tyres or of course run-flats with their stiffer sidewalls. I don't know anything more technical than that but swapping the fronts has made a massive difference to both the feel of the steering and the harshness of the ride as well as less inclination for the wheel to twitch as the car follows every rut and bump of the terrible road surfaces around here.
 
Unbelievable difference now I have had more time to appreciate the changes. How did BMW sell these cars on runflats when the difference is so extreme? On runflats the Z4 was no match for a Boxster but now its a lot closer. I have ordered tyres for the back now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom